2019 Can-Am Ryker – First Ride Review

So here’s the deal. Not everyone is comfortable with the idea of two wheels, but they still want the saddle, handlebar, wind-in-your-hair experience, and we don’t blame them—it’s fun.

Can-Am figured this out and about ten years ago introduced its first Spyder, with two wheels up front for better stability than traditional trikes.

It was a learning experience, with hits and misses along the way, culminating in the current Spyder lineup of six F3 and RT models, all powered by a Rotax 1330 ACE in-line triple…and costing anywhere from $16,000 to $27,000. There were less expensive models in the past but they weren’t always well-received, and the used market is sparse.

Therefore, while Can-Am now operates dedicated Rider Education Programs in 37 states–with a goal of 42 by the end of 2018–it’s struggling to convert graduates (nearly half of which are women!) into buyers. According to its research, 45 percent of participants are not purchasing a Spyder because they’re just too expensive.

So Can-Am has instituted a new strategy it calls Project S, which takes a four-pronged approach: reduce the price of the Spyder F3 and RT models, continue to expand the Rider Education Program, introduce the industry’s first leasing program and bring a new entry-level model to market, the $8,499, automatic transmission Ryker.

With ten years of experience and some amortization of development costs, plus overall cost reductions for technology, Can-Am’s designers and engineers feel like the Ryker is the entry-level 3WV they’ve always wanted to build.

How low can you go? The Ryker’s seat floats just 23.5 inches off the ground, meaning it has a very low center of gravity. All the better for drifting and hooning around on twisty roads! Photos by Kevin Wing.

It looks at bit like a stripped-down Spyder, with matte black plastic composite bodywork and a low, stubby saddle suspended over the single-sided swingarm that houses a driveshaft.

Gone is the belt that drives the Spyders’ rear wheels, which Can-Am says was a necessity if it wanted to create a lower center of gravity; the lower shaft allows the seat to hang just 23.5 inches off the ground. It also weighs in at around 300 pounds less than the sporty Spyder F3.

Ever wished for a customized fit so you can easily reach the handlebar and footpegs? Wish no more, the future is now. To move the Ryker’s handlebar, simply lift the clamp, slide it forward or back to your desired position, then re-clamp.

The Ryker is the first in the industry to offer easy, tool-free rider customization.

The footpegs are similarly easy: lift, slide along the frame tube, lower back into place. Thanks to a pretty ingenious design, the brake reservoir slides along with the right peg, and the lever itself is also easily adjustable with one hand; at one red light I reached down and adjusted both footpegs before the light turned green.

Once wrapped around the low-slung machine, getting started is a matter of twisting the throttle. The Ryker’s automatic CVT requires no shifting and includes a reverse gear; the belt does require service at a BRP dealer every 12,500 miles or so.

I adjusted my Rally Edition’s footpegs to roughly the middle position on the frame rails, and the handlebar all the way forward for maximum control in the twisties. For reference, I’m 5’9″ with a 34-inch inseam, so you can see how much closer or farther away the handlebar and pegs can go.

Can-Am offers the standard Ryker with either a Rotax 600 ACE parallel twin or a 900 in-line triple, while the up-spec and dirt road-ready Rally Edition comes with the 900 and features all-road tires, KYB suspension with an extra inch of travel, reinforced wheels, an included Max Mount rear rack, skid plates and structural enhancements, hand guards and an extra Rally ride mode.

Both variations can be customized with snap-on body panels and other accessories. The base price includes one of three colors, black, red or yellow, with other optional colors and graphics available for an upcharge, including a limited-edition series that will change every six months or so.

I’ve had experience with the F3 Limited and RT, and am well aware of the capabilities and limitations of both Spyder designs, namely their high center of gravity that causes the VSS (Vehicle Stability System) to kick in early enough to put a bit of a damper on true hooliganism.

The Ryker, by contrast, was designed specifically for hooning around, and it’s the first 3WV I’ve ridden where I actually had to dial myself back because the VSS was allowing me to act too much the fool.

It takes a bit for a motorcyclist used to two-wheelers to get in the 3WV swing of things, but once figured out it’s like riding a go-kart with a handlebar. Riders can choose their own level of adventure with three riding modes: Eco, Standard and Sport (and a fourth, Rally, on the Rally Edition).

Riding the Ryker is totally different from a motorcycle. It’s honestly more like a go-kart with a handlebar.

Standard is fine for casual riding or those new to 3WVs, while Sport dials things up a notch by almost completely disabling traction control and loosening VSS intervention. Standing burnouts and sliding into corners, your butt less than two feet from the tarmac, are encouraged.

Rally mode takes things even further to allow for some pretty serious off-road drifts, but after scaring myself several times on an extremely twisty canyon road I decided that it would be wise to save it for the dirt.

Also notable was the fact that the standard Ryker, with its lower ride height and stickier street tires, was quicker on those technical roads than the Rally Edition. When pushed hard into a turn in Sport mode, the Rally’s “all-road” front tires had a tendency to break loose, sending me skittering across my lane with the dialed-back VSS sputtering to intervene at such a late juncture.

Riding the knife edge of traction on a fast curve. Notice the inside tire is barely skimming the pavement, its shock fully extended, while the outside tire is taking the brunt of the traction demands, its shock fully compressed.

Once traction was regained, the engine stepped up to slingshot me out of the corner. Despite its lack of a counterbalancer, I found the Rotax 900 ACE triple to be smooth and responsive, if somewhat lacking in character.

It generates a claimed 77 horsepower at 7,100 rpm and 56 lb-ft of torque at 6,300, delivered via a well dialed-in electronic throttle and a CVT that offered it up on demand for quick passes and scooting around the twisties.

Unfortunately a Ryker 600 was not available on our ride, but given that it only weighs about 20 pounds less than the Ryker 900 and makes nearly 40 percent less power (47 horsepower at 7,300 rpm and 35 lb-ft of torque at 6,200), we’re guessing most dealers will only keep one on hand to upsell customers to the bigger engine.

Linked triple disc brakes are operated solely with a foot pedal on the right footpeg.

Linked triple-disc brakes were up to the task, although at our spirited pace a solid push on the pedal was necessary to haul the roughly 660-pound Ryker Rally down to a (relatively) safe corner entry speed. You feel it when the ABS intervenes, but by that point you’ll likely be happy it’s there.

Suspension (Sachs twin-tube coil-over shocks on the standard Ryker and adjustable KYB HPG shocks on the Rally) is impressive, as it is on the Spyders. With a 3WV one often can’t avoid potholes and other road hazards, but the Ryker soaks them up with very little fanfare.

My Rally wallowed just a bit on quick transitions, but I hadn’t gotten an opportunity to make any adjustments so it might be possible to stiffen it up a bit for sport riding.

A small locking glovebox holds sunglasses, phone (which can be plugged in for charging) and spare gloves.

I also appreciated the Ryker’s lack of power assist steering like that found on the Spyder models. Now connected directly and mechanically to the front wheels, the Ryker exhibits much less of the skittery, nervous behavior many riders have noted on the Spyder. The upshot is a slightly harder workout when flinging it through the twisties, but it’s a fair trade in my opinion.

The lower center of gravity and substantial weight loss over the Spyders is noticeable, and the Ryker feels playful and fun—exactly what Can-Am was hoping for.

What remains to be seen is how well it’s received by its target market, but the new leasing program, which advertises payments on a Ryker as low as $149/month, might provide an added incentive for a generation unlikely to have a large chunk of savings to plunk down on a new toy.

Even seasoned two-wheelers (and trike riders) looking for something fun to bomb around town on should give the Ryker an open-minded look though. You never know, you just might like it!

The 2019 Can-Am Ryker starts at $8,499 for the 600cc base model, the 900 is $9,999, and the Rally Edition is $10,999. They should be arriving in dealerships sometime in Spring 2019.

It depends on what state you live in. Check with your state’s motor vehicle department to see if you need a two-wheeled motorcycle license or a special three-wheel license specifically for vehicles like the Ryker.